Zombies All! The Janus‐Faced Zombie of the Twenty‐first Century

Adult education responses to the ‘othering’ of Muslim identity: Perspectives from Ireland

“…George W Bush's much repeated 'with us or against us' mantra, curtailed any analysis beyond an othered evil enemy mind-set and galvanised public opinion for a war on terror that was allegedly undertaken to protect Western values. The task for the 9/11 Western patriot was to go shopping, an action explicitly encouraged by the Bush regime (Boyer, 2014(Boyer, , p. 1143) and a message that rooted Western values in the pro-business individualisation of neoliberal society where our personal, social and economic wellbeing are placed in the hands of the deregulated market. Meanwhile, Ahmed (2011, p. 194)…”

“…This, Kundnandi (2015) argues, is the dominant lens through which the West views Muslim populations and is the justification for counterterrorist policies that undermine the human rights of tens of millions of people worldwide. Trump’s ban on all citizens from Somalia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Sudan, despite no record of any citizens from these countries being involved in terrorist attacks against the US, didn’t create this perspective, but sought to legitimise an existing anti-Muslim discourse that is evident within popular culture (Boyer, 2014; Dodds, 2008; Froula, 2010; Simmering, 2006; Šisler, 2008), through print media (Morey & Yaqin, 2003) and, perhaps most significantly, through political commentary and actions. It isn’t surprising therefore that, increasingly, the daily lives of many Muslims, and those presumed to be Muslim, involves negotiating negative attitudes, discrimination, hate speech and even physical assaults (Alam & Husband, 2013; Ali, 2014; Allen, 2010; Carr, 2015, 2016; Lynch, 2013; Shyrlock, 2010).…”

“…After all, the US was embroiled in a Cold War where the alleged dangers of Soviet communism dominated the cultural and political landscape. Not dissimilar to contemporary depictions of a fixed Muslim identity, popular culture championed the notion of a menacing Soviet other repeatedly portrayed as dangerous invaders that could infiltrate the heartland of America and threaten its way of life (Boyer, 2014; Froula, 2010). Successive American governments of the time promised protection through a comprehensive US civil defence agenda which included such things as an education ‘duck and cover’ programme, evacuation plans and robust policies to ensure continuity of government in the event of an attack.…”

“…George W Bush’s much repeated ‘with us or against us’ mantra, curtailed any analysis beyond an othered evil enemy mind-set and galvanised public opinion for a war on terror that was allegedly undertaken to protect Western values. The task for the 9/11 Western patriot was to go shopping, an action explicitly encouraged by the Bush regime (Boyer, 2014, p. 1143) and a message that rooted Western values in the pro-business individualisation of neoliberal society where our personal, social and economic wellbeing are placed in the hands of the deregulated market. Meanwhile, Ahmed (2011, p. 194) explains the consequences for ordinary Muslims sharing,In the United States, initially, that is in the days and weeks following 9/11 at the level of the citizenry, there were eruptions of violence against Muslims, including several acts of murder committed against men presumed to be Muslim.…”

Politics of the Living Dead: Race and Exceptionalism in the Apocalypse

“…Broadly, through historical and pop culture narratives, and as evidenced by its staying power in movies and fiction, the zombie holds a special place in contemporary theorising about life and death in modern politics: it is an enduring icon which encompasses and embodies our political and social fears -'they are a surface upon which humanity reflects anxieties'. 3 The zombie speaks, through its search and hunger for living flesh, to humanity's fears about contagion, disease, death, and loss of control. This undead figure reminds us of all that is repressed in our political and economic orders: the monstrous aspects of neoliberal capitalism, the emptiness of consumerism, the disposability of people, and our reckless use of earth's finite resources.…”